Closed // Open
with Beau Clugston - Iluka
Beau Clugston grew up in Sawtell, a small coastal town located between Brisbane and Sydney on the East Coast of Australia. His early career as a chef began in Sydney, but the attraction of fine dining and Michelin stars drew him to London, working within the acclaimed Gordon Ramsay restaurant group for nearly 10 years. With his work visa running out of time, a desire for a return to Australia had started to take root. But before doing so, while he was in that part of the world, he wanted to visit a Copenhagen restaurant he’d started to hear rumblings about—Noma. As he tells it, that meal shook his world. He saw it as a new way of looking at food, a unique approach. At the time, Noma was a small operation, but Clugston knew he wanted to work there. Though initially rebuffed, he refused to give up. His persistence led to a week-long trial, and then ultimately a position at the restaurant.
After years with Noma, including the Noma pop-up in Australia, he was feeling a tug back to his roots. He began to recall times of fishing with his friends, throwing their day’s catch on the barbecue with nothing more than salt and pepper. He was longing to take what he’d learned at some of the world’s most renowned restaurants, and apply that to those early memories of cooking. Or, as Clugston tells me, “To hide complexity in a veil of simplicity.”
Iluka is Clugston’s ode to all of those things. The techniques he learned in the kitchens of Sydney, London, Paris and Copenhagen, combined with the simplicity of the seafood he recalls preparing after long days in the Australian sun. When I step inside Iluka, Beau greets me with a warm smile and an espresso. The restaurant is devoid of tables, save for the one we sit at for our interview. Hung on the entrance to the restaurant is a note that reads “Gone Fishing.” It’s a playful nod to the fact that they’re currently closed, and one that indicates, even in Iluka’s absence, he’s still thinking about the water.
CS - Iluka’s focus on seafood seems to be a nod to your earlier life, surfing in Australia. In that way, it would seem it’s more than just a restaurant to you, it’s a part of you. When you knew that it was going to close for an indeterminable amount of time, what was going through your mind?
BC - The first thing that came to mind was being thankful for being in Denmark. I have a lot of trust in the government as most of the people do here. The first thought was, okay, it’s not over. I thought we need to play our cards right and we’ll have a fighting chance. The only way I could look at it was a positive. I took it as an opportunity to fix the things that maybe I overlooked at Iluka, to reshape the business. I always say it’s the bistro of 2020. I’ve been saying that since 2018. Did it become a bit too fancy? Not the restaurant, because when you come here, you know it’s not that, but the message to the public. So I think it was a way to refine and reshape what Iluka is to the public.
CS - The pause gave you time to hone in and think about how you want to be presented.
BC - Yeah. And we have a very small bank, from Jutland. They’re very human. They believe in projects. So the first phone call I had with them, he said “We’re going to get you through this.” As soon as I heard that, it’s not that my worries were gone, but I thought, okay, I can go into the minus, but they’re here, on my team. It was a weight off of my shoulders. Knowing that was life-changing for me. So my first initial reaction was excitement, but I don’t want to downplay how severe this is.
CS - Iluka is relatively new. It opened its doors in August of 2018, making it less than two years old. During something like this, what sort of unique challenges does that create versus a restaurant that’s been open for years?
BC - Well, you have to remember two years ago, I was just a chef. It’s just me and the wife. I don’t have an accountant, I don’t have the infrastructure of a big business, or even a medium-sized business. So it’s been a lot of learning. That’s been a huge challenge. Understanding the rules. There’s so much going on with Iluka, but we also have to finish the books so we can apply for the salary packages, or apply for fixed costs.
CS - And all of that falls on you?
BC - All of that falls on me, and my wife of course. We are in a great city where there is community. There’s a lot of help we can ring up. But at the end of the day, it’s just me and the wife trying to navigate this storm. The thing is, my wife and I are very polar opposite [with decision making]. I’m like “Just do it and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, Just go for it.” She’s a scientist. So she’s a bit more calculated. There’s been a lot of her wanting someone to look over our shoulder, like “Are we sure this is right?” And I’m like “It’s right, just send it.” [laughs] So one of the biggest challenges is just being alone.
CS - You’re suddenly thrust into multiple roles.
BC - Yeah. And you hear this a lot, but I never really believed it—cooking is the easy part. Every single restaurant owner says that. I thought, well, it is and it isn’t. The hard part is having enough time. I’d love to have a day when I could be in the kitchen just creating.
CS - There seems to be a lot of conversations between chefs here in Copenhagen, the sharing and exchanging of information. Have you been in contact with friends and colleagues here? How has that impacted, or informed, how you’ve navigated this?
BC - It’s a very small community. This crisis, I feel, has made everyone a bit stronger together, and a bit closer in a really good way. It’s made people a bit more willing to share information where normally maybe they’d keep, because it’s very competitive as well. But right now, it’s more genuine. There’s a bit more honesty. I think this has created a lot more genuine community. I’ve been in contact with a lot of people. It hasn’t really reshaped me, but it’s made me realize that we’re all on the same path, heading forward.
CS - So, when you realize you’re not going through it alone, there’s some comfort in that.
BC - Exactly. And looking at a larger scale, you see the whole world is in the same boat.
CS - I’ve spoken to a lot of expats here. How does that feel, being in Denmark? Obviously you’re keeping up with what’s going on in Australia.
BC - Man, honestly, I’ve talked to a lot of my friends back home in Australia. Australia’s gone through the bush fires, and then straight into floods, and then straight into corona. And they haven’t had that much support. Now, they’re starting to get some support for coronavirus, I think because they’ve had such a tough year. I’d be gone. I think I’d last about two months and I’d be shut. So honestly, I sit here and I thank my lucky stars to live in a society that looks after each other. It makes you thankful for any help. I would never dare to complain. I’m grateful. We’re almost in a position where we’re just hibernating. The hard part of course will be the reopening. But for now, it’s about using this opportunity in time to think about your business, fix the cracks and reshape it to the model that you envision.
CS - Let’s discuss Iluka At Home. Many restaurants adjusted to allow for take-away, but I was impressed by your approach. Not only the idea to allow people to prepare your food at home, but your vision to create an instagram account and provide video instruction. That seems extremely well thought out, from a user experience standpoint. How did that come about? Specifically, how did you get that up and running so quickly?
BC - I’m a firm believer that a fast second is better than first. I saw everyone coming out straight away, before the packages. And I figured I needed to wait and see, because I’m in such a vulnerable position, that if I open now and the packages say you’re allowed zero income, and I lose the package, then I’m bankrupt. So I figured I wasn’t going to do anything until I read the packages. So the first thing was to wait. Just get the facts, figure out what is allowed and what’s not allowed. Then I saw all of these take-away initiatives and I was like “I believe in take-away, but Iluka’s never been set up for take-away, we’ve never even thought about that.” But I thought about all this time that people now have at home. People like to cook, people like to be with their loved ones, so I was like “Okay, I want to do more than take-away. I want to do something that’s in line with my brand.” My brand, how I think about Iluka, is quality, care and commitment. So Iluka At Home was born. We do the harder stuff—the blending, the chopping and making the bases—and we let the guests do the fun stuff, like steaming their oysters, the finishing touches. And I wanted it to be a bit more personal, hence the video instructions. I wanted people to get to know me, to be a bit more local. I want to be present in my community. I just wanted to create something with integrity.
CS - If you had to guess or estimate when that was first an idea and when it actually made it out to the public, how long would that be?
BC - Three or four days.
CS - Really?
BC - Yeah. We read the packages and said “Okay, can we lose 20% of our fixed costs?” We did the math, and we sell so cheap that we don’t really make any money, but it’s such a big order for our suppliers. Basically, how much value is there in the marketing versus the money? Maybe it doesn’t make money, maybe we lose money, because the 20% is gone and we’re not making money on the take-away, but maybe that marketing is more valuable for the future of Iluka.
“There’s a lot of help we can ring up. But at the end of the day, it’s just me and the wife trying to navigate this storm.”
— Beau Clugston
CS - It seems like it’s done well, you’ve been selling out.
BC - Yeah, people love it. We have about 80 people that are regulars, every week.
CS - Now that you’ve launched Iluka at Home, and it seems to be quite successful, that begs the question—will it continue?
BC - It has to. It just has to. Revenue aside, because we haven’t even had the chance to evaluate if it’s worth it or not, but for the community, it’s huge. I’ve had people write to me and say “Thank you, that was amazing, can’t wait for next week.” We have this old lady in Frederiksberg, she’s 83. She’s told me she looks forward to the videos because I’ve delivered to her, she’s met me, and now she’s like “I can’t wait for your next video.” And not that she’s lonely, but I think she feels like she’s made a connection. I think from the community point of view, it has to continue. I feel like I know these people.
CS - I think that’s why I wanted to ask about it. You’re seeing the fruits of this labor, but it’s fascinating that this was set up in three to four days and it’s ballooned. You couldn’t have known that was going to happen.
BC - No, no chance. We sat down and I said “What do you think? 20? Maybe 30 orders?” And it just took off. I thought “We can’t do anymore, we don’t have the capacity, we have to call in other staff.”
CS - That’s got to be a good feeling.
BC - It is. And also it gives you this feeling of how beautiful a creation is, how something can go from an idea to an experience. There’s something so beautiful in that.
CS - With the shut down, will there be any lasting effects on Iluka, in terms of concept or how the restaurant will operate on the other side of this?
BC - Yeah, it’s going to have the effect that maybe in a year or in six months, that people will want to support local. That people will want to be better to the environment, they will want to know where their food is coming from. I think they’ll want to pay more to get better quality, and have it less often. And value it a bit more. So on that side of coin, it’s going to have some effect here, because that’s what we do. On the other side of the coin, we’re in this sort of mid-range. We’re not cheap, but we’re not expensive. Restaurants are built to be these jovial places with love and laughs, this mood and atmosphere. A restaurant without that is not a restaurant. I don’t know what it is. So the immediate effect is going to be quite tough. It’s just a huge unknown. I think different streams of revenue are going to be important. I think I’ve learned that, now more than ever, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. If we hadn’t gotten help, I’d be gone. And that’s all my savings, all my wife’s savings, and she’s not even in the industry. It would all be gone.
CS - This is your life’s work, and if it goes, it’s hard to wrap your head around that.
BC - Yeah, I don’t even let thoughts like that enter my mind because then I’d have to reevaluate my whole life. Do I want to stay in Denmark? Do I go back to that small town, go surfing, and become a breakfast chef? [laughs] I don’t let that thought creep into my head. This is going to work, that’s my thought. I’m going to make it work, and that’s it.
CS - Finally, since these are extremely challenging times, what have you been doing during all of this to keep yourself motivated, upbeat and happy?
BC - The thing is, I’ve never been more busy. I’ve had no time to jump in the harbor, to go exercise. I’ve just been consumed by work. But, honestly, twice a week, the thing that gets me happy, is I get to create this dish for Iluka At Home. I spend that day where I have no meetings, no emails. I’m in the kitchen, I create a dish, I eat it for my lunch or dinner. I’m alone with my thoughts, I have the music on, and it’s just me.
“I think I’ve learned that, now more than ever, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. If we hadn’t gotten help, I’d be gone. And that’s all my savings, all my wife’s savings, and she’s not even in the industry. It would all be gone.”
— Beau Clugston